The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying vegatables, particularly lettuce.
In the course of preparing vegetables it is frequently necessary to dry them before they are refrigerated or served. Cut lettuce, in particular, is customarily treated with ice water so that it will be fresh and crisp when used later in salads and should be partially dried so that salad dressing will not run off the leaves too quickly, but some moisture should be retained to make the lettuce more palatable.
In the past, lettuce has been dried by placing it in a perforated basket that is shaken or rotated, either manually or by an electric motor. Motorized driers present a serious danger of electrical shock to persons operating or cleaning them, since the device and the surrounding floor area are usually wet. Previously known vegetable driers are often difficult to clean, since they often have numerous corners and crevices that are not easily accessible. A thorough cleaning usually requires that a skilled person disassemble the device, using appropriate tools. Cleaning is, therefore, a time-consuming process that may tend to be done with less frequency than is desirable.
Motor driven driers are usually equipped with clutches for controlling their rotation. These clutch mechanisms are of a type that can easily injure the hands of the operator and present a particularly high risk of injury when the device is being cleaned.
Another dangerous aspect of previously known vegetable driers is the use of upstanding lugs that engage and rotate a removable basket. If the drier is turned on after the basket is removed, the rotating lugs become a likely source of injury.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a simple, convenient, and easy to operate apparatus for drying lettuce and other vegetables that can be readily used in restaurants and other food preparation facilities. It should dry the lettuce quickly without heating or other harmful processes. In addition, it should be safe to operate, easy to clean, compact, and manufacturable at low cost.